Georgian Winemaking
GEORGIAN WINES
Georgian wine is a source of pride, pleasure, and social status. It gives people a reason to meet and take pleasure in each other’s company. It gives foreign wine lovers a warm welcome to Georgia and a vivid insight into the Georgian culture. Georgia seems inextricably intertwined with wine, and seems to be inviting the world to one long table, where everyone can toast each other, trying to live amicably on a shared planet – or terroir! Georgia produces a variety of wines for nearly every palate. Georgian wines are classified as sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry, dry, fortified, and sparkling. Traditionally, Georgian wines carry the name of the source region, district, or village, much like French regional wines such as Bordeaux or Burgundy. There are five main regions of viticulture, the principal region being Kakheti, the most popular wine region of Georgia, which produces seventy percent of Georgia's grapes. Each village in this region has its own vineyards and gives its name to their wines: Mukuzani, Tsinandali, Akhasheni , Tvishi.
GEORGIAN GRAPES
As with French wines, Georgian wines are usually a blend of two or more grapes. Some Georgian wines carry the name of the grapes they made of. Here are just a few well-known grapes you should know:
Qvevri Phenomenon
Nowadays, the process of winemaking in Georgia uses a wide range of techniques—from the traditional Georgian method of fermenting the wine in clay Qvevris, to the European process using modern equipment and techniques, like stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. Wine made today in the traditional Georgian method follows the same process Georgians have developed to make wine more than 8,000 years and this process is one of a kind.
Traditionally, the classic way of producing Georgian wine involves the country’s signature Qvevri. Before use, the Qvevris are carefully cleaned and then coated with beeswax. The process then involves pressing the grapes and then pouring the juice, grape skins, stalks and pips into the Qvevri. Then it is completely sealed to further prevent contamination and oxidation. The natural yeasts of the grapes allow fermentation without additives, and the natural tannins prevent spoilage without artificial preservatives. The vessels’ conical shape allows yeast and sediment to settle to the bottom freely while the wine is allowed to circulate within the wider center. When buried underground, Qvevri maintains the temperature of fermenting wine as modern temperature-controlled tanks do. The taste of Qvevri wines differs from barrel wines in that no oak flavor seeps into the wine.
COUNTRY OF GEORGIA
WORLD'S OLDEST NEWEST WINES
WORLD'S OLDEST NEWEST WINES
Georgia is a small mountainous country with the richest history in the area where Europe and Asia meet. Georgia is located between the ghats of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains. Georgia is on the same latitude as Tuscany and has similar territorial conditions perfect for wine production. A rich diversity of soil, climate, the angle at which the sun falls on the vineyards and the many indigenous grape varieties creates a huge variety of wine tastes and aromas.
Georgian grapes are unique, indigenous that often cannot be found elsewhere. They present both unique flavors and aromas. Acid is a lot mellower and not as aggressive. Georgia boasts more than 500 varieties of indigenous grapes—nearly one-sixth of the world’s grape varieties—including endangered vines found nowhere else on Earth.
WORLD'S OLDEST NEWEST WINES
WORLD'S OLDEST NEWEST WINES
WORLD'S OLDEST NEWEST WINES
Georgia is the “Cradle of Wine” and is one of the oldest wine regions of the world. Archaeological finds prove that wine-making in Georgia started about 8,000 years ago. According to the majority of experts, the first cultivated forms of Vitis Vinifera vine appeared here, from where they propagated via Asia Minor to European countries and with intrepid sailors – further in New World, Australia etc. Through centuries the viticulture was one of the main fields of Georgian cultivated agriculture.
Georgia has some of the oldest and most distinct grape-growing terroirs on the planet, where they have cultivated not just vines, but a world- class wine culture. Georgia produces wines that are unlike anywhere else.
As the world discovers natural wines, Georgian ancient wine culture is attracting attention. Georgian wines have already become a must-have for the world’s best restaurants and wine merchants in Europe. They are now among the trendiest in the world. Gradually, Georgian wines are becoming more popular in the U.S.